Validating the fishing locations reported in the logbooks using the positional data of vessel monitoring systems in the multi-day fishery of Sri Lanka

As part of monitoring, control and surveillance marine fisheries, a logbook monitoring vessel system (VMS) were introduced for multi-day fishing. The present study investigates the possibility using VMS data to validate records fishing locations vessels. from 1,424 multiday vessels fitted with VMS, which was operated May 2017 April 2018. During period, there 17,626 trips 66,717 occasions. In tracks where flooded, drift gillnet-operated seen as condensed zig-zag pattern, while longline curve-shaped tracks, ring net had irregular-shaped clumps. differences in coordinates matched predicted by boats three gear types indicating that almost all operations within ±10º both latitudes longitudes further around 70% less than 1 arcminute difference. Therefore, track can be used verify